News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-07-07
Col. z. 3. sawyer's Historical
Address.

Ladies and Gentlemen The Rev. James
White, in the opening chapter of his ad-
mirable book, entitled 1.-The Eighteen
Christian Centuries" makes the follow
ing very pertinent remarks: Nobody
disputes the usefulness of history. Many
prefer it, even for interest and amuse-
ment, to the best novels and romances.
But the extent of time over which it has
stretched its range is appalling to the
most laborious readers. And as history
is growing every day, and every nation
is engaged in the manufacture of mem
orable events, it is pitiable to cOntem-
plate the fate of the historic student
hundred years hence, He is not allowed
| to forget Marlborough, in consideration
of his acquaintance with wellington.
His knowledge of the career of NapOl-
con is no excuse for ignorance of Julius
Caesar. All must be Observation-Disclosures
defeats-battles, sieges-knights, in ar
NOR, soldiers in red the charge at Mar
! athon, the struggle at Inkermann-all
| these things, a thousand other things. at
first apparently of no Importance, but
growing larger and larger as time de-
YelOpeS their effects, till men look back
in wonder that the acorn escaped their
notice which has produced such males
tic Oak,-a thousand other things still.
for moment rising in apparently ire
sistable power, and dying off apparently
without cause, must be folded up in
inches of the memory ready to be brought
forth when needed, and yet room be left
for the future. And who can pretend to
be qualified for so great a work? Most
of us confess to rather dim recollections
of things occurring in our own time-in
our own country-in our own parish
and some, contemplating the vast ex-
panse of human history, its innumerable
Windings and perpleXing variations, are
inclined to give it up in despair, and
have a sullxy sort Of qualification in de-
termining to know nothing, since they
cannot know ALL" Those words were
written more than a quarter of a cen
fury ago, since which, what vast strides
has history made What stupendous
libraries have been added to the then
vast accumulationS of historic lore Be-
fore that time history had logged along
at very Sedate and orthQdOX pace: but
since then it has .bgTrwn It's seven league
boots. It~f1as 1eaped from startling
event to astounding discovery with such
bewildering rapidity, and goes at such
terrific stride, we almost lose our
| breaths in attempting to catch passing
glimpse of it. Three editions Of Daily
| Press, which OVertaXeS our capacity of
admiration for its energy capacity, liber-
ality, enterprise and genius, are not
more than sufficient, with all the amaZ-
| ing facilities at command to keep us
| informed of important events as they
are now transpiring. We can not keep
up with them. We might as well
attempt to count the revolutions of a
| buzz-saw, or note the motions and
| periods of the 100. 900, 600 OrbS which
astronomers now tell us reYOlYe i'll stel-
| lar space.
With all this, and much more, in view.
| am not to attempt to occupy much OF
your time, this day, with the historic
details of small municipality, compris-
ing less than the hundred thOuSandth
part of our country. sui, though
small, our township is an integral part
of a vast empire; and some incidents
relating to its settlement and early his
| tory; some brief, honorable alluSIOn to
the StOut-hearted, patriotic pioneers, the
first of whom took his first frugal repast,
and slept his first night in sweet repOSe,
under the giant pines which then stood
where we are now canOpled, just one
hundred years ago this day and night,
seems justified by the occasion. The
fact that John Mcdaniel commenced
the settlement of this town July 4th,
1887, is as well authenticated as any fact
can or need be. All the written sketches
of the town assert it; tradition confirms
it; and there are still a number of living
witnesses who can testify to having
heard him relate it, and the fact has
never been questioned to my knowledge.
Whether it was accidental, or whether
he regarded the day as an suspicious
one l am unable to say but it is not
unlikely that the latter was true, when
we remember the spirit of the times and
the character of the man. L do not
know that the letter which John Adams,
on the 9Th day of July, 1776, wrote to his
wife Abigail, had ever been read to or